Porter Airlines’ CPO on building a people-first culture that drives results

Lawrence Hughes, executive vice president and chief people officer at Porter Airlines, approaches leadership through insights gained from a career shaped by mentors and organizations that prioritize people at the heart of business. 

“I've been very fortunate in my career to work for organizations that value people,” he says. “And what's kept me at Porter for the past 10 years is that, from our board of directors, right through our executive committee and senior leadership team, the concept of business results being driven through people has always been a key notion that we've embraced.”

That philosophy directly links leadership and engagement to strong business performance. Hughes describes his leadership style as grounded in authenticity. The strategy is as much about showing human vulnerability as it is about directing operations.

“Be yourself, be available, have your door open, have empathy, and don't be afraid to roll up your sleeves and work hard alongside your team to accomplish your goals,” he says. “We work hard; we laugh. Sometimes you have to close the door and laugh because otherwise, you might cry.” 

This level of openness highlights Hughes’ deliberate effort to cultivate trust and transparency across the company.

Making leadership accessible

The emphasis on authentic leadership has influenced how Hughes approaches mentoring and advising within Porter. For Hughes, accessibility is a leadership tool, one that strengthens employee engagement while reinforcing a people-first culture.

“I try to keep my own desk clear and my email clear so that I am available, not only for my team, but for my peers or anyone who wants to drop in and seek some advice,” he explains. 

This focus on accessibility and openness extends to Hughes’ advice for HR leaders navigating challenging times. 

“Resiliency is something that comes to mind,” he says. “From a people perspective, and in terms of leading people, you need to be prepared to pivot quickly and stop what you're doing to think about the next right thing to support the organization.” 

He also stresses that business acumen and understanding how your business works is critical for HR leaders, providing them with the opportunity to have a voice that’s “critical at the table,” he says. 

Hughes highlights that this approach has allowed him to be fully integrated into strategic decision-making at Porter, reflecting a leadership style that blends people management with business insight.

Feedback that fuels growth

Central to Hughes’ strategy is leadership development across all levels of Porter, with the airline’s formal leadership program, the Accountable Manager, a cornerstone of this effort. The program emphasizes accountability – to oneself, to the team, and to the organization. Hughes notes that the program has been in place for about eight years and measures its impact through employee engagement surveys. 

“A team member engagement score is a key metric that we monitor and actually hold leaders accountable to,” he explains. “Each leader, provided they have five or more direct reports, gets a confidential report from our third-party service provider. It's a development tool, and no one in the organization sees it.”

However, this program and score isn’t about penalizing underperforming leaders – it’s about supporting them, Hughes says. Leaders are encouraged to use feedback constructively and engage with the learning and development team to improve. 

The impact is measurable. Hughes notes that leaders who have graduated from the program show higher engagement scores compared to newly appointed leaders from outside the organization. 

“We do see a delta in those scores,” he says. “Leaders who embrace the feedback and take steps to make changes are those who we see improvements from.”

Hughes also links leadership effectiveness to business outcomes, particularly in customer satisfaction. He notes that Porter consistently achieves some of the highest satisfaction scores in the airline industry, a reflection of both operational execution and leadership influence

“We think there's a direct correlation between high engagement and customer satisfaction scores,” he says. “High customer satisfaction drives repeat passengers, and I think it all ties together.”

Preserving what makes Porter unique

This structured approach to leadership is particularly vital as Porter continues to expand. The airline’s rapid growth post-pandemic has brought new challenges in transitioning from a family-based culture to a broader organizational model that accommodates a larger workforce. 

“We’ve hired a number of direct entry leaders from other companies, and certainly they bring their own leadership style, their own values and habits,” he says. 

This influx of external talent, while critical to scaling operations, also requires careful attention to cultural integration. Porter has historically prided itself on a tight-knit, people-focused environment where collaboration and personal connections are central. As the organization grows, maintaining that ethos while introducing new processes, leadership approaches, and operational frameworks is a delicate balancing act, he says. 

Hughes emphasizes that this period of transformation is not just about scaling the business but ensuring that the airline’s core values continue to guide decision-making. Leadership development, mentoring and structured onboarding for new leaders have become key tools in preserving Porter’s culture, even as the company navigates the complexities of a larger, more diverse workforce. 

“It’s about creating a shared language and set of expectations that allows people from different backgrounds to align with our way of working, without losing the essence of what makes Porter unique,” he explains.

In the constantly evolving aviation landscape, Porter’s model under Hughes shows that strong leadership can be both human and strategic, blending business results with people-centric practices. For Hughes, these principles are measurable strategies that drive engagement, retention and ultimately, the airline’s continued success.

"Culture isn’t static – it evolves with the people who are part of it. Our job as leaders is to guide that evolution without losing sight of who we are at our core,” Hughes says.